In the last few years, crowdfunding has become a huge force to raise money for a variety of causes globally. Crowdfunding, embraced particularly by younger generations, appears to have an influential future as a fundraising strategy for millennials, who have grown up in the peer-to-peer vs. top-down influence framework.

What is radical generosity, exactly? It's a unique concept conceived by Vicki Saunders, founder of SheEO, a Toronto-based group that celebrates and supports women-led ventures. Her long-term vision is for this grassroots crowd-funding initiative to take hold not just in Canada, but all around the globe.

While you're reading this blog post, Google is conducting an experiment that could revolutionize the online advertisement business. This small experiment is called Contributor. It works by asking people for $1, $2 or $3 contributions to their website of choice in exchange for being able to read content without annoying advertisements.

In these heady days of waste reduction and sustainable food production, food recovery tackles our most bourgeois societal needs for perfect looking produce. For decades, North Americans have been turning their noses up at apple wormholes and rusty romaine lettuce, and produce retailers have caught on.

While crowdfunding sites were created to give the underdog a chance and essentially foster free enterprise where start-ups are concerned, it never occurred to me to use these platforms as an opportunity to raise funds for personal pursuits. Especially something as personal as adopting a baby. But does that make it wrong, unethical or crass, even? What do you think? If you had a friend or family member crowdfunding an adoption, would you contribute?

Moving forward, we must never forget that we have the power to keep the peace, with every act, however great or small, and to shape Ottawa -- and the rest of the world -- now and for future generations.

Frankly I think it's at least partially our fault as an environmental movement that this framing has stuck. We haven't focused enough on specific solutions over the years. We have opposed bad ideas like pipelines with vague notions of carbon taxes or non-specific alternative energy projects. We have rarely proposed or even broadly supported specific alternative projects.

There is a buzz these days about crowdfunding and how it is a great tool to raise money for your project, your business or even your trip. But what is not said, is this isn't easy money. Here are some pointers that I hope will help others succeed.

It's an ambitious goal, and the amount they are hoping to raise through crowd-funding is $75,000 (no small amount), but Ricochet has assembled a strong team of journalists (which they intend to pay fairly) and initially only having the editors volunteer their time and expertise, thus hoping to gain people's support and financial commitment.

In just a few short years, relatively simple technology that enables people to find like-minded individuals with similar tastes in artwork, has eclipsed and then surpassed a 50 year old institution of government. Hopefully, governments will learn the lessons of other industries and choose to embrace this technological advancement for what it is -- the democratization of art

I love crowdfunding, because it's like watching money have a wrestling match with ideas. It's capitalism in microcosm. It's important to not lose sight of the lesson here: Crowdfunding websites are not responsible for anything that happens once you've contributed. You are leaving your money on the table, walking away, and hoping for the best.

Adoption of Equity Crowdfunding for ordinary investors may come sooner than we think; first in the U.S. and not far behind, Quebec and Ontario. We thought the time was well-chosen to outline the costs a Canadian company may incur given the possible regulatory framework that will come into force.

Everyone hates being asked for money, so don't. Crowd funding is not selling a product (your film is, in fact, a product); it's inviting someone to be part of an exclusive experience they can't get any other way. And your perks must reflect that -- make them limited edition items and experiences that disappear once the campaign does.

If being sick doesn't kill you, the medical bills might. Imagine getting better and being bankrupted for it. Facing the prospect of financially devastating medical bills is a reality many Americans know isn't going away. But a newly announced partnership between B.C. startup FundRazr and leading US provider of healthcare information Healthline.com may just save them from financial ruin.

Whether the business is seeking donations or shares, the principle of transparency remains. You must put yourself in the client's shoes, i.e. the potential investors. What would they want to know about your company that will allow them to make a decision? Human beings have to take the responsibility of the decisions they make.

Give 30 is an initiative established in 2012, tapping into Ramadan's lessons on social solidarity, to mobilize everyone -- regardless of faith or background -- to address the challenges of hunger in our society. Hunger in Canada is not an issue of food scarcity. Rather, it is directly related to income sufficiency and security.

On Wednesday morning Kickstarter was sent a blog post quoting disturbing material found online. The offensive material was part of a draft for a "seduction guide" that someone was using Kickstarter to publish. The posts offended a lot of people -- us included -- and many asked us to cancel the creator's project. We didn't. We were wrong.